I love movies. But not every movie. I have my preferences. They all require good acting, a believable and well-written story, and oftentimes something I can either relate to or something I can take away with me.

I have seen plenty of films that have actually won Academy Awards that I couldn’t stand, shaking my head as the credits were rolling and wondering what the eff? And just because something is popular is no indication of how well I’ll like it. I’m not the big-action and fireworks kind of movie fan. (No, I have not seen the latest Star Wars movie, or the last three for that matter.) There have been some pretty good action thrillers, of course, and I love a good gritty movie now and again (Manchester by the Sea, for one), but it’s the films that evoke a warm-hearted feeling that I love. Yes, there may be a heart-wrenching dilemma to be solved, like a widower whose son wants him to find a new wife or a man whose wife is on life support searching for the man his wife had had an affair with, but the problems are not insurmountable and there is a satisfying ending. A little humor doesn’t help either, but no Jim Carrey, please. Ever!

I write this as I’m watching one such film, The Intern. It never won any awards that I know of, but it’s got the right formula for having moved me to see it in the theater, purchase it, and return to it many times since. There’s good acting, without a doubt. Who can beat De Niro in anything? And Anne Hathaway is quite good too, proving once again that a movie doesn’t have to be Oscar worthy to be satisfying. Throw in a few great actors, and voila!

Other movies I return to again and again include:

• Sleepless in Seattle (my favorite!)
• You’ve Got Mail (Hanks and Ryan again!)
• Silver Linings Playbook (De Niro, with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence thrown in and a true-to-life portrayal of mental illness; plus De Niro so reminds me of my Uncle D here)
• The Descendants and Up in the Air (never knew I was a Clooney fan until his movies started showing up on my most-loved list)
• While You Were Sleeping (if I were to cast someone as me in a movie, Sandra Bullock would be it)
• Steel Magnolias (who can’t relate to–or wish she had–that kind of female camaraderie?)
• Finding Neverland (Depp and Winslet and some amazing British children)
• Dan in Real Life (Steve Carell really is good at lightheartedness and sincerity)
• The Family Stone (Christmas movies are always a plus)
• Baby Boom (more Keaton)
• The Family Man (love this movie’s statement that success doesn’t always equal how many zeros are in one’s paycheck, and Nicolas Cage is great too)
• The Love Letter (the perfect New England town in the summer, with plenty of humor)
• I Don’t Know How She Does It (not the best on the list, but can every mom relate, or what?
• Terms of Endearment (the first movie I saw that started me on loving this genre–and this one did win an Academy Award!)
• The Intern (see above)

OK, so some might say they’re all chick flicks, but that diminishes their importance and they are much more than that to me. They are like being in the presence of friends or family you love or being “home,” whatever that image might be for people. They are pleasant, thought-provoking, mood-enhancing films. No, they might not win any awards, but they are still number one in my book.